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Michael Nyenhuis offers an informed and personal perspective on where Americares has been, who we are now and what the future might look like for the critical health issues and emerging crises that we confront everyday around the world. Follow Michael on Twitter @americaresceo.811f003a-6966-453c-bf16-b1ea70751174https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/do-you-love-your-town-200275d71d50
Do You Love Your Town?The affection for local can be a powerful forceFri, 13 Jul 2018 14:24:07 Z534b0dff-1195-4ae3-b7f5-43e4f4f584dfhttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/hey-baby-whats-your-number-e785c423c632
Hey Baby, What’s Your Number?It’s a human right to have a birth certificate.Fri, 13 Jul 2018 14:15:53 Z14f37343-d0a9-4c7a-8012-008f1bc93458https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/where-children-belong-2f333f088172
Where Children BelongIn 1994, the nations of the world formally recognized the central role of the family in community, culture and development when the United Nations declared the “International Year of the Family.” Families were held up as the foundational institution in human society.Fri, 13 Jul 2018 14:04:19 Z57882131-c9f9-4b1f-9d2b-5e33cd803987https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/whats-dad-got-to-do-with-it-51cca3e8bee2
What’s Dad Got To Do With It?Wouldn’t it be great if we knew the “silver bullet” to solve every problem we had to confront? Unfortunately, the term silver bullet generally describes something elusive — a simple action that can solve a problem quickly.Fri, 13 Jul 2018 13:19:57 Z540b2dc2-9c7c-4167-a93e-a1f39af79c31https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/actor-and-director-tony-goldwyn-said-61ba775a4b56
Actor and Director Tony Goldwyn Said …Fri, 13 Jul 2018 05:56:05 Z617ae289-65b1-4bb1-8a46-634bd4a4db74https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/take-care-of-each-other-5cae10e651e1
Take Care of Each OtherThere are fuzzy toy koalas on many of my co-workers’ desks these days, and they give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. The stuffed animals were handed out after mental health first aid training and are a reminder that every koala’s owner knows quick steps to address a crisis of anxiety, depression or stress disorder.Thu, 17 May 2018 04:30:01 Z8a780ac8-4a19-4d78-8bfd-c2a500ad3773https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/https-medium-com-americaresceo-you-know-it-i-know-it-so-lets-do-what-works-12d9767f60f1
You Know It, I Know It — So Let’s Do What WorksI am watching the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a mix of dread and hope. The dread is driven by concern we could see a worst-case scenario like that of four years ago, when more than 11,000 people died from Ebola in West Africa. Thu, 17 May 2018 04:30:01 Zab290eed-e78e-41dc-8981-bcfb79aaa561https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/what-really-kills-people-after-a-hurricane-abc8168db8b0
What Really Kills People After a HurricaneThis week’s deeply saddening news about Hurricane Maria’s death toll in Puerto Rico is not a surprise. In a report published May 29, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers say it is likely that 5,000 people died as a result of the September 2017 storm.Thu, 17 May 2018 04:30:01 Zb0e21dc7-493d-405b-9d26-18344bbe0d5ehttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/who-deserves-your-attention-on-mothers-day-2da03535a14c
Who Deserves Your Attention on Mother’s DayYes, Mother’s Day is right around the corner here in the United States and a number of other countries. I hope you have a beloved woman in your life who deserves a visit, call, gift or hug on this special day.Thu, 10 May 2018 05:07:38 Z921d9906-1f80-4823-8b3e-19b64db5a6b1https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/the-ultimate-time-share-62-million-people-cant-be-wrong-74986a69c559
The Ultimate “Time Share”: 62 Million People Can’t Be WrongWant to stay healthy? Here are your three keys: eat right, exercise moderately, volunteer.We hear about the first two all the time, but volunteer? Yes, there is evidence that volunteering helps people live happier and healthier lives.Thu, 19 Apr 2018 15:16:05 Z804fd6c1-7d1b-480d-aafb-43850541b824https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/yes-there-will-be-major-setbacks-count-us-in-1b161b4aec35
Yes, There Will Be Major Setbacks. Count Us In.Nothing is easy. There are moments when all I can do is put my head down and mutter, “How can this be?” I had one of those moments recently when I heard that a fire burned through an important hospital in Liberia, causing extensive damage to, among other things, the maternity center Americares rebuilt and expanded not that long ago.nd healthier lives.Thu, 19 Apr 2018 15:16:05 Z374fd85c-7b6d-4c29-b2d2-bdb1f9ee2b40https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/beyond-the-stars-how-to-find-great-charities-e5ef11a9d704
Beyond the Stars: How to Find Great CharitiesAt Americares this week, we were grateful to once again receive the highest rating from Charity Navigator, a popular website that rates thousands of U.S. charities on a few simple metrics. I don’t mean to brag, but Americares deserves its four stars. We are effective, efficient, accountable and transparent in the way we go about our work.Wed, 18 Apr 2018 05:26:23 Z149a4d09-5068-4bac-9f8a-9eeece6d1c81https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/rural-health-workers-havent-lost-hope-nor-should-we-1880e8cf8230
Rural Health Workers Haven’t Lost Hope. Nor Should We.Samuel Naluso is one reason I have such a heart for local health centers and the people who staff them. A 30-year-old nurse, Samuel is the lead — make that the only — health professional at the rural and remote Majete 1 Health Center in southern Malawi. He sees more than 100 patients a day, by himself, and they come at all hours.Wed, 18 Apr 2018 05:24:18 Z3bdf6dd7-7a99-4356-9bc3-b01f0801f974https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/fixing-the-disaster-damage-you-cannot-see-cfe97132a13e
Fixing the Disaster Damage You Cannot SeeAfter Hurricane Maria lay ruin to the town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico, emergency room administrator Johanna Morales was among the small staff that worked for 11 days without relief at the local hospital. Wed, 11 Apr 2018 15:49:43 Z76b41ebd-235e-4746-8497-1504aa4e2edfhttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/faith-in-action-f762b8379ae8
Faith in ActionYears ago, I sat at the bedside of a patient at a Christian mission hospital in the remote north of Côte d’Ivoire, in West Africa. He needed immediate treatment and had traveled for many hours to the hospital by foot, on the back ofThu, 29 Mar 2018 16:01:35 Z631f9631-120f-41af-b26d-921018cb1f95https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/our-nations-compassionate-history-don-t-stop-now-6c8023cda8e4
Our Nation’s Compassionate History: Don’t Stop NowAmericares founder began his global humanitarian work by rescuing children stranded in Vietnam at the end of the war and bringing them to the United States — as refugees.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 19:01:33 Z1d4e4b0d-0e74-4732-bf2a-3811219b4f1fhttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/a-c-a-overhaul-must-increase-access-for-uninsured-1d15c28513c0
ACA Overhaul Must Increase Access for UninsuredDespite the rhetoric, it remains unclear what policy makers intend to do with the Affordable Care Act. Repair, repeal, replace or remake are all options at this point.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:56:56 Z198cea21-7741-438f-96e3-5af940ee0043https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/stranded-by-harvey-22220cd1977
Stranded in a Catastrophe: Thoughts on Hurricane HarveyIn video, photographs and reports from Texas, we see people stranded in their homes by floodwaters and in shelters with no home to return to. One compelling photo showed elderly people sitting waist-deep in their flooded nursing home — stranded while they awaited rescue.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:53:33 Z51aa6cea-bfee-4add-8770-44a0cfd2a9a9https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/there-is-always-more-goodness-777a40dbc435
“There is always more goodness …”I am thinking about Las Vegas today. And Puerto Rico. And Raqqa, the destroyed Syrian city that was once the “capital” of the Islamic State — and is no longer home to anybody. And an article I read about the swelling population of Mongolia’s newest slum, where a resident said “Nobody cares about us. We don’t exist.” And the anger and bitterness that fills our airwaves and seems to dominate the public square.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:48:00 Za618d091-b404-4d19-83a2-85a764704d6bhttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/perspective-from-personal-crisis-7bc4570ce2ce
Perspective from Personal CrisisWe have cried together. A cancer diagnosis has a way of bringing about tears. Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:24:03 Z0f22f908-eb01-4c26-b9b1-86be8b7bf6e3https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/ending-tps-will-magnify-poverty-desperation-in-el-salvador-51ec8dbf8535
Ending TPS Will Magnify Poverty, Desperation in El SalvadorThis week, the Department of Homeland Security announced the end of Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from El Salvador, which will make it illegal for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans living in the United States to live and work here after September 2019.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:19:37 Z4069f216-69bb-4a33-90ac-020ebaa3ece0https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/the-cryptovortex-millions-need-for-better-health-d80b0dfdc727
The “Cryptovortex” Millions Need for Better HealthHere is another phrase that has risen to the top of our lexicon: “health equity.” It is not a new term, but it is increasingly a key goal for the work we do. Health equity means that everyone, no matter their situation, has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:07:41 Zca19e685-6676-4645-91b5-81b9721a39fbhttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/an-attack-on-all-of-us-d07c501ae36b
An Attack on All of UsHeartbreak and outrage — I feel them both. In Afghanistan this week an attack on aid workers killed four staff members from our partner Save the Children. Their families grieve and mourn. Dozens more people are injured.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 17:55:00 Ze7e8f833-8d93-4d40-bfd1-3ffe36d6197ahttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/healing-in-houston-a066949f94df
Healing in HoustonIt is a long road. And I am not talking about the expansive freeways crisscrossing the city of Houston, where I am this week.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 17:30:50 Zcc59ef30-e9e6-412a-abe3-b9289bced24ahttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/stopping-the-next-pandemic-starts-now-3ca2093434c0
Stopping the Next Pandemic Starts NowYou could die one day from a global epidemic. In our connected world people, goods, information, cultural influences — and disease — travel at remarkable speed. Wed, 14 Mar 2018 17:25:48 Za6e7941e-e4aa-41d2-833e-cb1a71ff4bd3https://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/hand-the-talking-stick-to-the-kids-4c6f3cac440a
Hand the Talking Stick to the KidsAfter this week, I plan to hand the stick — literally when I can and figuratively at other times — to the young people I encounter wherever I am traveling around the world. I can’t wait to hear what they say.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 17:15:41 Z60f8d40f-a5db-41d2-abe0-2c7d60a3868fhttps://medium.com/@AmericaresCEO/powerless-puerto-rico-inches-toward-recovery-b54b92690189
Powerless, Puerto Rico Inches Toward RecoveryThe emergency may be over, but the troubles are not. That was evident as I traveled throughout Puerto Rico recently, meeting with Hurricane Maria survivors still living with widespread power outages and repairing storm-damaged homes. Wed, 14 Mar 2018 16:19:03 Z